Perishable food items such as fruits, vegetables, and the like (hereinafter referred as food items) require low temperatures for maintaining freshness thereof for extended periods of time. Food items such as salads and vegetables tend to wilt upon being stored in conventional vessels. Also, keeping fruits and vegetables at room temperature for extended periods in a kitchen may result in spoilage thereof. Accordingly, a cooling unit, such as a refrigerator, is used for maintaining low temperatures while storing the food items.
However, while going out for recreational activities such as picnics, it may be difficult to carry a cooling unit to store the food items. Often, the food items remain outside the cooling unit for an extended period of time, which causes bacteria to grow in the food items. The bacteria may cause food poisoning, if the contaminated food is ingested. Specifically, food items prepared with mayonnaise and other dairy products begin to spoil faster as compared to vegetables and fruits, if not refrigerated.
During recreational activities such as get-togethers and potluck dinners, food items may be stored in a cooling unit such as a refrigerator, and taken out of the cooling unit while serving the meal. However, it may be inconvenient for an individual to carry the food items from the table to the cooling unit time and again, during meals. Further, the food items may need to be transferred into a serving dish after being taken out of the cooling unit. The transferring of the food items to the serving dish every time the food items are taken out of the cooling unit may become cumbersome for the individual.
Conventionally, when salads and vegetables are taken out of the refrigerator, ice cubes are placed directly over the salads and the vegetables for keeping the salads and the vegetables cool and fresh temporarily. However, eventually, the ice cubes may melt down and become mixed with the vegetables and the salads. Moreover, upon soaking in melted ice water for an extended period, the food items may become oversaturated, rotten, and otherwise unfit for consumption.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a low temperature maintaining apparatus that is capable of preventing growth of bacteria in a food item, such as a fruit, a salad, a vegetable, and the like, stored therewithin. Further, there exists a need for a low temperature maintaining apparatus that is capable of being used as a serving dish for serving a food item such as a fruit, a salad, a vegetable, and the like, stored therewithin. Furthermore, there exists a need for a low temperature maintaining apparatus that is capable of being conveniently carried by a user while indulging in recreational activities such as a picnic, a potluck dinner, and the like.